Allison techs??

What is the problem?

 

Stan,
The 3000HS rating of 370/1100 is a problem for the 410/1450 that you want. The 48,000 lbs that you run at is well below the 80,000 that the transmission is rated for. Do you need 410Hp for the weights you are carrying? Suggest you talk to your friendly local Allison dealer to see if they will come to the party. SEM and LRTP may be required.

The wiring requirements depend on your application, eg PTO, retarder, exhaust brake, Jakes, two speed diffs, etc.
The GEN4 TCM will exchange a lot of information on the J1939 data bus with the engine, ABS,and electronic dash(if fitted). This reduces much of the wiring required.
For a simple on highway truck with a good J1939 data bus you will need to supply; battery positive, battery negative, ignition signal, and Check Trans warning light. If you have a J1939 dash you may be lucky enough to get one that picks the Check Trans light off the data bus. If the dash is not J1939 you will need to supply a speedo signal from the TCM, or a transmission mounted speed sensor.
If a transmission retarder is fitted you will need to supply a "Retarder % Request Signal" from a wand or brake application pressure switches.

Don't forget that you will also need to install a transmission oil cooler.

 

Sounds like your Allison dealers have lost their sense of adventure, and can't/wont think outside the square. Maybe with such a large captive audience in your market it is easier to put retrofits in the too hard basket than to have to think. If they know how the system works, it doesn't matter what it is in, and who fitted it.

Just because it was fitted factory in the vehicle doesn't mean that it is correctly installed. In my experience very few, if any, OEM's follow Allison's installation requirements fully, eg, I have yet to find one that runs dedicated battery supplies direct to the batteries as required by Allison. I have even had to dismantle OEM looms and twist the speed sensor wires because they didn't think it was necessary to do this.

 

I worked at an Allison dealer/rebuilder for 12 years; everything from the old VH/VS to the V731's, MT300s, AT545s, then up to the MD/HD series, then the 1000/2000/3000 series, and I can tell you our guys did not want to retrofit either. We did do it for CTA and Pace Bus though.

There are a few shops around the Chicago area that may help ya with this. If you need help finding one, PM me.

Peace, J

 

IMO. Alisson is a good tranny widly used here on buses (MAZ, LIAZ, Bogdan and other) and it is amazing but comparing fuel milage with manual boxes the difference is about 5-7%. But you will drive truck like a car. The bad thing that you can not use transmission to slow down and brake pads wear is doudled.

About transmission reliability and diagnostics....
if trasnmission is used with mercedes engine (MR unit + ADM unit) I use Star Diagnose, on all other vehicles I use ATDT software and any RP1210 adapter.
ATDT works fine with Cummins Inline.

Problems are usual for car transmissions: wiring, solenoid valves, toasted inside transmission (too agressive ride, low ATF level, bad maintanance), sometimes with valve bodies.

Yep, Autoshift is more reliable and less expencive, but alisson - more comfort, less noise and smooth acceleration.

It is a good thing but you pay more $$$$.

Someone can say that I-shift and ZF-AsTronic/Freedom line are of the same price, but really ZF is a compromise, runs bettter Eaton, but not so well as Alisson. But with ZF you can get the best fuel milage, becose its computer is very "smart".

Now we use to work with 325 R. BTW, I like Voith trannies too.